Kings’ Nolan, Kopitar, see dads earn spot in Olympics

It wasn’t a big day for the Los Angeles Kings, who fell 3-2 to the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena Sunday afternoon when Jonathan Ericsson scored with just over four seconds left in the third period, but it was a big weekend for the dads of a couple of Kings who were officially crowned Olympians.

Sunday, Latvia garnered the final qualifying spot for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic hockey tournament, taking their qualifying pool with a 2-0-1 record following a 3-2 overtime loss to France. The Latvians are coached by former NHL bench boss and onetime Red Wings forward Ted Nolan, the son of Kings centre and former Windsor Spitfire Jordan Nolan.

“That’s pretty unreal,” Jordan Nolan said of his dad’s accomplishment. “He texted me before the game and said, ‘Pretty big game coming up against France.’ To hear that he’s in is pretty good for him.

“It’s an emotional day.”

During his frequent talks with his father, Ted Nolan has relayed to Jordan how much he’s enjoyed the experience of building the Latvian squad into an Olympic team.

“My dad really put a lot of into that team,” Jordan said. “He was really hoping it would all work out for them.

“I’m glad. I’ll call him tonight and have a good talk.”

Earlier in the week, Slovenia also earned one of the three qualifying spots, the first time the tiny nation will compete in an Olympic hockey tournament. The Slovenians are coached by Matjaz Kopitar, father of Kings’ centre Anze Kopitar.

Kopitar and Red Wings left-winger Jan Mursak are the only Slovenians currently playing in the NHL.

“It is pretty exciting,” Mursak said. “It was hard to believe when they won both of the games, first against Belarus and then against Denmark.

“I knew we had a good team and could do it, but in the past, we always had kind of trouble to play against Belarus. They were the favourites. I was really surprised and really happy that we made it.”

“A few years back I would never think that I could be playing at the Olympics, but now, hopefully, there will be no injuries next year and I will make it,” added Mursak, currently on the shelf with a broken collarbone.

While it isn’t certain yet that NHLers will participate in the Sochi Games, it’s expected that they will be there. The league has taken a break in the schedule to allow its players to perform at the Winter Games for the last four Olympiads.

“I hope there’s going to be a break here and the NHL will allow the players to go there and play,” Mursak said. “I think they will. It’s going to be fun.

“It’s probably the best tournament that you can play in. I think the teams are going to be full with their best players.”

Mursak gave much of the credit for Slovenia’s success to Matjaz Kopitar’s work with the team.

“He’s doing a very good job,” Mursak said. “I think he’s the first coach that the players really respect and listen to anything he says.

“They trust in him. He knows what he’s doing. I think a lot of Anze’s success is from his dad teaching him when he was younger how to play.”

Mursak doesn’t know how his nation will do in their first appearance on the Olympic stage, but he’s hoping for the best.

“We’ll see,” he said. “Hopefully we can win some games at the Olympics, too. It’s going to be really hard, but we’ll see how it goes.”

Lively discourse is the lifeblood of any healthy democracy and The Star encourages readers to engage in robust debates about our stories. But, please, avoid personal attacks and keep your comments respectful and relevant. If you encounter abusive comments, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. The Star is Using Facebook Comments. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Connect With Us

WinStarSports

More Sports

What took you so long, Ronda Rousey? After beating her last two title challengers in 14 and 16 seconds, respectively, the queen of Ultimate Fighting Championship’s octagon, and one of the biggest stars the sport has ever seen, needed a whopping 34 seconds to show her latest opponent just how far the rest of the field has to go to catch up.

BEIJING — Having made history as the first city to win hosting rights for both the Summer and Winter Olympics, Beijing now faces a slew of challenges, from ensuring adequate snow in a bone-dry region to ramping up support for winter sports in a nation where few people ski or skate.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A day after the high-profile vote which awarded Beijing the 2022 Winter Games, International Olympic Committee members dealt Saturday with issues affecting the next two Summer Games — severe water pollution in Rio de Janeiro and the fuss over Tokyo’s choice of emblem.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Two things were certain Saturday when the New England Patriots put on pads for the first time at training camp: The home fans sure do love Tom Brady and the quarterback’s suspension and court case haven’t affected his accuracy.